Dragon's Protection
by YoungestCullen8
Summary: Woo Bin is trapped in New York. Wounded and alone, there's no one he can turn to. A woman takes him under her wing and tries to help him. But he's nervous she will get hurt helping him as his friends search. He's in danger and doesn't want anyone else hurt. But she won't stop. R&R
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note:** I haven't written in a very long time. And the reason is I've been struggling with some things mentally and emotionally. It's been rough since I last posted something in September and I'm sorry. I will do my best to get the other story up and running again. Just please be patient with me. Thank you.

* * *

"Find him!"

Woo Bin clapped his hand over his mouth to keep from making any noise. Though his abdomen throbbed and his shirt clung to a horribly bleeding wound, he had to keep quiet. If not, he was going to die. He was going to die anyway if he didn't get any help, but he would die sooner if he was caught.

He heard footsteps going back and forth in front of his hiding spot, spotty English wafting to his ears. And he was in foreign country with no one to run to. His friends were in the air somewhere between Seoul and New York. He had no help whatsoever. Ji Hoo would be handy right about now. Glancing down slowly, he could see the dark stain even through his black shirt and jacket. Yes, he was really in trouble.

As quietly as he could, he slipped from behind the rotting trash and slinked into the darkness. He hoped against hope that he didn't leave a blood trail. Finding help was the most important thing right now. He knew he looked rough. Hell, he looked like he had had his ass handed to him. And he had. If he walked into an emergency room, the attending physician would call the police and things would escalate. People would get hurt.

His movements were slow as his vision alternated between darkness and light. He was losing blood faster because he was moving so much. It was amazing he was even conscious. It was a great effort just to pick his feet up instead of shuffling them. Shuffling feet meant someone was hurt. It would give him away, and he couldn't have that.

Familiar smells hit his nose. Fiery spices tickled his memories, and he desperately wished he were home with his parents and friends who could protect them. But he knew he couldn't stop. They knew his heritage, knew he would stop for food and maybe even help.

He could see them from the shadow of the alley. They were talking all the vendors, asking them about him and showing his picture to them. By their faces, the vendors were scared of them. They would do whatever they said. They would turn him over if he asked for any sort of help. He wasn't going to get any right there.

Dejected, Woo Bin trudged to the next alley way and ran right into an open door. The pain in his head was much less threatening than the rest that coursed through his body, but it was enough to dim his vision even more. He didn't hear the person at fault due to the ringing in his ears, but he figured he or she was apologizing.

Unfortunately, that knock on the head and the ringing was the last straw. His knees turned to mush and gave way. He wasn't sure, but he thought the ground was very soft.

* * *

Rioh felt awkward.

Really awkward.

Like buying six cases of wine at Sam's awkward.

When she opened the door to take the trash out, she did not expect to hit someone in the face. It was midnight. No one ever skulked about at midnight. Unless it was Thomas the Alley Cat. He always came around at this time of night for food. But he was a cat. He would rattle the garbage cans until she opened the door. But he was a cat.

The man pinning her between him and the door was not a normal experience. There was Richard the homeless man that lived two blocks over that came for her leftover dinners every night, but he came through the front door usually and exited that way as well. This was new.

She heard the muffled screech of Thomas as he demanded sustenance. He wasn't going to find anything in the garbage he was currently scouring. Those were all destroyed or ruined blankets from the kennels. He seemed to know because he raised his scraggly head and pinned her with an angry one-eyed glare.

Sighing she pushed the man back and turned so he was draped over her shoulders. It gave her leverage to drag him through the clinic. That left the door open, and Thomas slinked in with a sophisticated grumble. She would deal with him later.

No sooner has she gotten him on the cold, metal operating table than someone started banging on her front door. She closed the back door and set Thomas on the table with a food bowl. There was only one person who would dare at any time of the day.

"Hwan," she growled as she unlocked and opened the door. She saw the man on the other side flinch as if on cue the dogs started barking. "What are you doing here?"

"You haven't heard?" he demanded, shoulders jumping as the dogs kept barking.

Rioh shook her head. "Heard what exactly? Besides dogs barking at an intruder who has messed with our quiet night?"

Hwan glanced around as if he were looking for something. "The president of Song Construction is in New York. The charter from the Yoon Organization attacked him in the side streets beside the hotel he was staying in. Everyone is on high alert for him. Bin sent me to warn you."

She scoffed. "Bin sent you to warn me? You're not even a Lantern. You're just there to please Bin."

The man looked distraught. He was barely twenty-one and yet he looked a little older than that. But he had Bin's ear and heart. Hwan would do whatever the man said. It made a little sense for him to be here, but not too much.

"Ya, Noona. Don't be like that," he complained.

Rio sighed and nodded. "I'll steer clear or anything crazy. But let Bin know this game won't work on me. You know the drill, Hwan. You know what can happen. I'll keep it in mind."

He nodded and was gone. Rioh locked the door behind him and headed back into the operating room. So this was Song Woo Bin. She knew him; like literally knew him. They had met plenty of times on various trips. She wondered if he would know her when he woke up. If he woke up. That wound in his belly was causing more damage than good.

Grabbing the ultrasound machine, she cut the man's shirt and did a preliminary search of his abdominal region to make sure no damage had been done to any organs. Even with a medical degree, she was still technically only allowed to operate on animals as she was a veterinarian, but she had the experience with humans as well. Too much experience.

Satisfied that none of the internal organs had been ruptured and the artery hadn't been nicked, she donned surgical gloves and went to work. After cleaning the area around the wound, she saw the serrated edges left by the knife. A military knife had been used. That made perfect sense, but it also made things difficult for her. The edges didn't match up so she had to cut away the dead ends to make it fit.

Gently, she sutured the two pieces of flesh together then cleaned away the grime around it. She had to change gloves so she didn't contaminate the cleansed area as the cut the shirt from the man's body and trashed it along with her soiled scrubs shirt. She bandaged the sutures so they weren't exposed then tended the cuts and bruises on his face. There was no doubt in her mind that Bin had ordered this assault. This was the work of Kim. He was the only person she knew who was military trained.

This made her angry. They'd had a clean split with the members under Song Construction. It had been a unanimous decision. Why was he going back on his word three years later?

Satisfied with her work, she hefted the man and carted his tail upstairs to her home. She had renovated the attic of the clinic into an apartment due to the number of animals hit by cars. They needed around the clock care and it just made sense for her to live there. It beat the apartment she had rented across town that had taken her thirty minutes to get back and forth from. Now if anyone needed emergency care, she was always available.

The guest bedroom was a mess so she laid him to rest in her personal bed. Everything on this man was ragged. His jeans had seen better days and his designer boots were scuffed. He was going to be mad about that. She stripped him bare so she could wash him clothes and put him in sweat pants so he wouldn't be bared to the world. Thomas jumped up on the bed and snuggled close to him, purring madly as he settled his ratty body down by the man's ribs.

"You're not living here permanently, Thomas," she scolded. But one night would hurt.

Throwing his and her clothes in the laundry, she changed her own clothes and went to the living room to find out what the hell was going on. The only way she was going to find anything out was to email her source and friend.

* * *

Woo Bin was aware that he was somewhere he had never been before. He was aware that the clothes he was wearing were not his own, and there was a fuzzy something pressed against his ribs. He was aware of all these thing and yet he couldn't figure out what was different.

He was staring at a textured white ceiling, wracking his brain to figure out what had happened in the nine hours he had been unconscious. Nothing had changed. He was still injured but he wasn't bleeding. He ached but it wasn't difficult to move. He was still in New York and he was still in trouble. He still had no contacts, no phone and no wallet. All that was still in his hotel room. He was still screwed.

Pushing himself up, he saw what was pressed against his side. A scraggly cat with a nicked ear and one eye lay contentedly against his bare skin. His purr was happy and warm as he slept in a lump on the mattress. He looked like he had just had a bath and was trying not to kill the person responsible. Woo Bin understood the sentiment exactly.

Deciding that nature's call was way more important than trying to figure out what was going, he got up and went in search of the bathroom. He was in luck as it was an en suite and he didn't have to hunt it down.

He was curious as to who the woman was who had saved him so he went in search for her. The apartment was empty so he ventured down stairs, grabbing a jacket as he went. He stepped into a hallway of some sort then wandered down it until he reached a frosted windowed door. He could see two figures on the other side but couldn't make out who they were. So he pushed the door open slightly and peeked through the slit he made.

He saw two women, one short and blonde headed and the other tall and black headed. There was a dog between them and they seemed to be in deep discussion. The dark haired woman looked up and her face became stone. She shook her head at him, an imperceptible movement that only he saw. She motioned for him to get back upstairs. And he listened because that look could kill.

He took that look seriously because it was one his mother used all the time. So he slipped back upstairs and waited patiently in the living room. A few minutes later the woman wandered back up, two cups of coffee in her hands and a bag between her teeth. She set one cup on the table then placed the bag down.

"I didn't know what kind of coffee you liked so there is creamer and sugar in the bag. Donuts too," she said.

Woo Bin looked at her, noting the tattoo peeking out under her shirt. He hadn't understood a word she said. She met his gaze and her lips pulled up in a smile.

"Sorry," she apologized, switching to Korean in an instant. "I'm so used to speaking in English that it's just natural."

He was so surprised words failed him. He reached for the bag and pulled out two little cups of creamer and a jelly-filled donut. What was his luck that he would find someone who spoke English and Korean at the same time? He wasn't that lucky.

"You're right to be nervous. I would be if I woke up in a stranger's home with a knife wound in my stomach." He looked up at her but she was level with him. "My name is Rioh Hwang. I'm the resident vet here on the skirts of Korea town."

:"Aren't you afraid?" he blurted.

She tilted her head at him. "Afraid of what exactly?" She saw the blush on his face deepen to scarlet. "Oh you mean the Triad? No, not really. I paid for everything I have in cash and I don't have any debt. I don't have a need to be afraid. That's why a lot of my clients come here. They know it's a safe place. So I get a lot of free food. There's kimchi in that fridge behind you. Feel free to make yourself at home…"

"Wooyoung," Woo Bin spat out before he even thought about it. It didn't seem smart to give his real name even to someone who was helping him. "Son Wooyoung."

Rioh bit back a smile. Rule 1 was to never give your real name away. Though things were over, he stuck to that rule. She wasn't about to burst his bubble even though she knew who he was.

"All right. Make yourself at home, Wooyoung-ssi. I'll see if I can track down your belongings. I know something happened because your phone and documents are missing."

Woo Bin was nervous as she stood and ventured into the bedroom. There was no need for her to get in trouble over him. He knew people were going to be watching the hotel to see if he showed up. They couldn't go through his room because he was in the penthouse but they would watch for someone to come collect his things. They would be on the lookout for his friends to see if they panicked about his absence.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** This will only be a four chapter story. It's quick and easy with a simple finish. It just came to me so hopefully I can finish it today.

* * *

Rioh walked straight through the lobby and to the elevator. When the golden doors opened, she stepped in and pressed the button for the penthouse. She looked at the camera, confident that she didn't look too conspicuous. She'd had friends stay here before. It wasn't unusual for her to wander through every now and then. If they checked the camera they would know that. This system didn't chronicle the floor numbers, just the date and time.

The bell dinged when the box reached its destination, and she walked out. There wasn't a need for a keycard since the elevator went all the way up to the penthouse. If she knew anything about the Song Construction president, she knew he wasn't going to take the biggest room. That was always reserved for the head of Shinhwa Group. Song was third ranked so she headed for the third biggest room. Sure enough there was all of his stuff lying out on the bed.

How had they gotten into the penthouse? The man would have locked the elevator doors with a pass code that he would have given to his friends only. The pass code had been deactivated when she had come up so someone had disabled it before he had returned. There was only one person she knew who would do it, but she couldn't call him just yet. She needed more evidence.

There was always tell tale signs about who had snuck in. Every person had his or her own signs when they do a task. This task was not a simple one so there was bound to be a sign somewhere. Rioh knew where to look and quickly found the tell that had been left behind. The gentle curve of the N that told her who was responsible for the break in.

There were a couple of other things. The room was a mess. They had been searching for him consistently. That's what happens when you're target has disappeared for two days. Once they saw the cameras they would know she was involved but they wouldn't dare come after her. She was off limits to them, had always been. But that really hadn't stopped some. Those poor bastards had met the muzzle end of a gun. They hadn't fared well.

The elevator dinged once again, alerting her to someone else's arrival. She shoved the phone and wallet in her back pockets and gripped the door jamb overhead, hefting her body up and over the door. She didn't hear voices so she knew it was Bin's men, or women. He had several of those he used when he didn't want to be detected. They were deadlier than the men. Hell, the Vanguard was a female and she was brutal.

Rioh waited until she heard footsteps pass by the door before she dropped down. The door was open so it blocked the view of her but the crack by the hinges gave her a view of the person. Blond headed and dressed in a black jacket, it could have been anyone of the 49ers. Lanterns weren't as obvious and the higher ranked people just didn't hide. They worked out in the open.

Slipping from the room, she eased down the hallway until she was directly behind the intruder. Not that she wasn't an intruder as well, but she was playing on the nice side instead of the bad side. She pounced when she was inches behind him and latched on to his neck. Her armed tightened under his chin until she heard him choking. He didn't fight back and she knew he wasn't a lackey. Rearranging her grip, she kept a hold on his neck and drove him into the wall.

"Hwan! You dumbass!" she swore at the kid. She dropped her hand and stepped back.

He gripped his neck as he struggled for air. Finally his hand dropped and he looked up at her. "What are you doing here? You know they're watching every aspect of his place. This is dangerous."

"And it's not for you? Did Bin send you again?" He shook his head. "Then why are you here?"

"I…I…I wanted to help," he stuttered.

"I didn't bring you in so you could do stupid stuff like this. I brought you in so you could be with Bin without having issues. Now you want to change that by becoming a 49er?" It was the only reasoning she could think of for him to do something so foolish.

Hwan shook his head hair, blond bangs flying about his eyes. "No! That's not it. Yes, I want to be with Bin but I also want to help you. You're the only one who has anything to do with me outside of the Triad."

"That's because you're a kept man, Hwan. Bin will do anything to keep you safe and quiet. You knew this the moment you stepped into this world. Your mother even said she was done with you because you're not only gay but also connected to the Triad."

Most of the people associated with Bin were Korean by heritage whether they were full blooded or born of a Korean parent with an American parent. Hwan was the same. His parents had fled North Korea when they had been expecting him and had settled in New York. They had tried their hardest to keep him out of trouble. And for the most part it had worked.

But Hwan had met Bin when the former had been in high school. There was a ten year age difference between the two, but Bin had played by one law if he didn't by any others. He had waited until Hwan had been out of high school before he had started dating him. Bin had been completely absorbed into the mob at that time, and he had risen through the ranks quickly until he had become second in command. He had been upfront and honest with Hwan from the get go and had even given him the option to leave.

Hwan had stayed, and that had driven a wedge between him and his parents. When his dad had died, his mother had refused to allow him to come to the funeral. None of his friends from high school or college wanted to associate with him because he could damage their reputations. Rioh was the only person who talked to and wasn't afraid of him. She had even backed him when it had come to his place in the organization. He had no ranking except as the lover of Bin. He was just a kept man

She framed his face with one hand and patted it gently. "Go home, Hwan. You don't need to get in trouble."

He frowned. "Bin has never laid a hand on me."

She frowned as well, knowing all too well that Bin didn't have to lay a hand on him to hurt him. Hwan wasn't the first lover her brother had had, and he definitely wasn't the only one. But he was the one Bin clung to when he needed someone. She didn't want Hwan to get hurt by disobeying orders.

* * *

Bin's hips slapped hard against Hwan's backside one last time before the former was spent. He was still for a long moment before he settled back on his feet. Hwan fell to his stomach, whole body heaving as he sucked in air. His knees were weak and he could barely move. His sore arms couldn't hold him up anymore and tingled as the feeling returned to them.

Bin was upset about something. He hadn't always used sex to release his frustrations but lately that had been the case. He hadn't discussed anything with Hwan, not in the last three months anyway. Hwan knew he had an excess of lovers outside of their home, and he made sure he was clean before he touched Hwan. The latter didn't mind that. He was grateful that his health was being considered, but the feelings of rejection were still there.

Hwan had classes every day and he still made it home to cook dinner. Sometimes Bin wouldn't even come home until early morning when Hwan was asleep. Dinner was left untouched as he climbed in the bed and went to sleep. Hwan would wake up and find it, and sadness tortured him all day long. He knew he was well-taken care of, but he also felt like he wasn't the top priority anymore. Those feelings ripped him apart so on nights like this when Bin wanted to be active, Hwan felt cheap.

Bin kicked the comforter back enough so he could settle under it. His arms snaked around Hwan, pulling him flush against him. He pressed his hardening member against his thigh but didn't make a move. Hwan seemed out of it. His head was turned towards the wall and he refused to loosen his hands from his chest.

"Hwan, what's wrong?" he asked. He nuzzled his nose into Hwan's neck, dappling kisses along the skin. "Hwan?"

"Did your medical report come in?" the young man asked.

Bin hummed in acknowledgement. "If it hadn't, I wouldn't have touched you."

Hwan squeezed his eyes shut, fighting the onslaught of tears that threatened to send him into a rage. Bin was brutally honest. That brutality beat at Hwan more times than it slid off.

"What would you say if I asked you not to see any of them anymore?" he wondered.

Bin forced him to look at him. "Is that what you want? You know what that comes with if I do that." Hwan shoved him away and clambered from the bed. He pulled on a pair of jeans and grabbed a shirt. "Where are you going?"

"I don't know, but I'm not staying here," Hwan muttered.

The older man grabbed his arm as he passed by and forced him to look at him. Bin was always patient, a characteristic uncommon for a Triad boss. "Tell me what's bothering you. You always clam up when you're upset."

The young man couldn't stop the tears that dripped down his cheeks. He gripped the shirt tightly in his hand as he fought back the anger that batted at him.

"Do you know how horrible it feels to have the person who claims he loves you to sleep with you only after he's been determined to be clean?"

Bin's brow furrowed. "You want me to claim you after I've been with someone else?"

Hwan jerked his arm away. "No! I don't want you to be with anyone else! I don't know what's going on with you because you don't tell me! I have to find out from others what you're doing. I have to find out from people at school that Bin Hwang has been screwing other students in my class! Do you understand how that makes me feel? Do you understand that I can't tell others who you are to me, that I'm the one you go home to every night? I can't even show my face in the food court because everyone knows I'm connected to the Triad."

Bin sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You've been talking to Rioh again."

Shaking his head, Hwan denied it. "I don't have to talk to Rioh to know this. Everyone in the organization knows. They talk even when I'm in the room. Rioh lives outside of the group. She's your sister so she knows you best. She had warned me before I even made the decision to stay with you. Of course I would talk to her. But she's never told me anything I didn't already know."

"Hwan," Bin took his hand slowly and gently, "if you want me to stop sleeping with others, I will, but you have to know that it will only get worse for you. There are things I can't tell you, and that frustrates me. I want you to know but can't say because you have no standing simply because you're not female."

"You can change that, Bin. You can change all of that."

The man shook his head. "No, I can't. I'm not in charge. Since Master Yoo died three years ago, no one has been able to make decrees. No one knows who is supposed to be in charge because he never left a will or any sort of orders. We're doing well with what we have now. But no one can change anything until someone decides to take the spot or we find the true heir. I'm only the tail. We need the head to be able to survive."

Hwan's fingers tightened and loosened on Bin's hand. "Tell me why you're targeting the president for Song Construction. Tell me that information and I'll drop everything. Trust me with something."

Bin's face contorted. Not in angry but in sadness. He shook his head. "I can't, Hwan."

A fresh wave of tears made their way down his face as Hwan nodded. He pulled his hand back and tossed the shirt on. "I'm sorry, Bin, but I can't stay then."

Bin watched as his lover grabbed his school stuff and shoved his feet into a pair of shoes. Hwan knew he was a gentle giant who happened to be second in command of a strong organization. But the toll it had to take was finally getting to him. He had actually wondered how long it would be before he left. He didn't fault Hwan at all.

* * *

Woo Bin did dishes since Rioh had made dinner. Currently the woman was playing with a litter of puppies that had been dropped off at the clinic. She had bathed and fed them then had left them to sleep while the humans had eaten. Now she was rolling them over on their backs and giving them belly rubs. They were nipping and nibbling at her fingers. She looked content.

She had been gone the majority of the day. A couple of calls had come in for her to make house calls. He had been alone but that had suited him just fine. He was still in pain and sleeping was on the menu. That damned cat had made himself at home on the bed once again as Woo Bin had slept. It didn't bother him but the cat liked to lick his ribs. He would slither under his shirt just to do it. Then he would leave claw marks from where he would extend his claws.

Rioh had changed his bandages as soon as she had gotten home. He wasn't dying. That was a good thing. But he was still in pain and that sucked. There was nothing she could give him because everything was used for animals.

"Hey," she said. He turned just in time to catch something leather and plastic. It was his wallet and phone. "I can understand you wanting to hide your identity. You're in a foreign place with no one to help you. But I'm not going to turn you in so you don't have to worry about that."

They looked at each other for a long time until the puppies demanded attention. Rioh looked down at them, fingers wiggling in front of their little faces as they nipped and barked. She was different than what he knew. Most women would run away from an unknown man who shows up at their house injured. But this one had taken him in and was still helping him.

He finished dishes and sat down in the floor with her to play with the tiring puppies. The six of them found a spot and quickly went to sleep. One of them started snoring and was kicked by his brother.

"How did you know where I was staying?" he asked.

Rioh looked at him. "You've been there before with your friends. It's always high profile when the four of you come to town. Other than the leader of North Korea and the South Korean president, I think the four of you are so popular you don't even realize it.

"The master bedroom is always left open for Shinhwa Group. Next is So Art Gallery and third is Song Construction. Anyone who follows society knows that. It was easy to find which room would be yours. It was just a matter of getting inside."

"You put thought into this." The words came out slowly as his mind worked out everything it didn't want to be true.

"If I was going to turn you in, I would have done so already. I'm not in the pockets of the Triad. They don't mess with me. And whoever thought of the Korean Triad is a genius. Don't they realize that triad is a generic term? You have to specify."

"It's because it all originates from the Chinese triad," he laughed.

She made a face at him. Both of them stopped talking when the door to the apartment opened. Only certain people had keys to this place. Rioh moved the puppies and grabbed the gun in the cookie jar. Woo Bin couldn't help the laugh that escaped at the thought of someone reaching in for a cookie and finding a gun.

She stood rock solid as she waited for whoever it was to come through the door. The safety clicked off just as the door opened. The young man yelled in surprise as Rioh cursed.

"Damn it, Hwan!"

"Is that all you do is curse at me? And why are you greeting someone with a gun in the face?" he demanded as his hand rested on his chest.

"Because only people who want to steal something come in without calling." She slid sideways slightly to cover Woo Bin but not enough to arouse suspicion. "Did you have a fight with Bin again?"

"Can I stay here?"

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"But you always let me stay here when I have a fight with Bin."

Rioh ignored the statement and pushed at his shoulder. "Turn around."

Hwan was surprised. "What?"

He had to do what she said and turned around. She lifted his shirt and scrutinized his skin. He knew what she was going to find. Bin's hands had dug into his flesh roughly not three hours earlier. He was starting to bruise.

"Hwan…" There was an edge to her voice.

"I know. I know."

But it didn't appease her because the next thing he knew she was on the phone. And he was staring into the face of Song Woo Bin as he sat shirtless on the kitchen floor with a pile of puppies in his lap.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** I hit a writer's block halfway through this chapter and it took me a little longer to get it up. But here it is.

* * *

"Bin."

The man sighed as he heard the one voice he didn't want to hear. Kim and Noah slid to the side as Rioh walked up to them. She sat down across from him. She folded her hands on the table in front of her and watched his face as Noah poured a cup of coffee for her and added the creamer she liked. They had all been raised in the organization and knew the ins and outs. Rioh was respected because she was Bin's sister, older sister at that. She could have had his position but he declined when their father had died. She had opted to go to school instead. Now she was veterinarian they used for their animals.

Bin knew she had been in contact with Hwan. The young man always ran to her when times got tough. She was his one and only confidant in the harsh reality in which he lived. He had no one to talk to because of his lifestyle. It was proving hard on him but he wasn't going to leave Bin.

"How's Hwan?" he asked.

She nodded. "He's fine. He's currently at my place watching a litter of puppies someone dumped."

Kim scowled. "People shouldn't have animals if they can't or won't take of them."

Rioh nodded. "I agree. But I'm not here to talk about animals or Hwan."

Bin looked up at her. In the last few years, Rioh had never wanted to talk to him about anything. She had left him alone and he her. The only thing they discussed at any length was Hwan. She viewed the young man as a younger brother she wanted to take care of and Bin had let her when he couldn't keep his promises. Their lives were their own and the only times the saw each other were at Chuseok, Christmas, and Lunar New Year. She never asked for money or any of his time and she lived under the radar. He never had to bail her out from anything.

But she sat across from him with a fire in her eyes that he hadn't seen in years. Her back was rigid and tight, and the little white line on her face showed through perfectly. She meant business.

"What do you need?" he asked, wary for the first time in several years about what his older sister was about to say.

"Leave the president for Song Construction alone. Stop looking for him." She didn't request it. That tone brooked no argument. She was demanding him to put a stop to it.

Bin was flabbergasted. "We don't talk business for ten years and you demand me to leave this man alone?"

"You don't know who you're messing with, Bin. This man has friends in high places. He could easily drag the organization down. You've only known life after the High Triad split from the Song Cartels. I remember what it was like when this group was involved. I remember Mom being scared witless because she didn't know when Dad was coming home. She had you locked away in your boarding school because she didn't know if you would be a target. What you're playing with is no joke. Leave it alone. You're going to get someone killed."

"Do you even know what you're saying?"

"What if it's Hwan?" That got his attention. His eyes turned to stone and his mouth became a hard, thin line. "What if your obsession with that president leads to Hwan getting hurt? What would you do then?"

"I'll kill him."

"Or her." Rioh took her brother's tattooed hands, spinning his couple ring around his ring finger on his left hand. "Put a stop on the hit. I don't know why you put it out in the first place, but you're putting everyone you love in danger. Not me. I can handle myself. But Hwan. You're putting Hwan in danger. He has no family he can run to, and the rest of the organization only view him as your property so he has no standing. You're playing a very risky game with a life you hold dear. If this came from the top, I would not have come to you. But there's no one at the top right now so I know it came from you. I don't know why, but as your sister, I know I have to tell you."

She nodded at Noah and Kim and took her leave. Bin swiped his hands across the table as he released an angry yell. He disappeared out the opposite doors. Noah and Kim looked at each other.

"She has the president," Kim concluded.

Noah nodded. "And she has Hwan. I say we deliver both of them to the boss."

* * *

Yi Jeong was on the phone with the police as Jun Pyo talked to Woo Bin's parents. Ji Hoo was calling hospitals in the area to see if their friend had been taken there.

When they had arrived, their rooms were in shambles and Woo Bin had been gone. They had called his phone a couple of times, and when he hadn't answered, they had assumed he had been at a club with a couple of his friends he had met last time they had been in New York. When they had all woken up the following morning and they hadn't seen him, they started to worry. They had used the entire day to wander around the big scene areas to see if they could find him to no avail. They had tried his phone again only to not have him answer.

So they filed a missing person's report and called the Korean Embassy. His parents had been contacted as well and things weren't going well. After he had gotten off the plane, he had been delivered to the hotel. The last time anyone had seen him at the club with friends.

The elevator dinged as it came to a stop at the penthouse. All three turned as one, hope written all over their faces. That hope shattered when they saw a woman who looked to be the same age as them step out. She didn't look to be too important so they continued the conversations they were having. She didn't press the issue with them. So when they finished what they were doing, they pretty much ambushed her.

"Who are you?" Yi Jeong asked.

"What are you doing here?" Jun Pyo wondered.

"Why are you here?" Ji Hoo demanded.

With a hint of her tongue sticking out, the woman smiled and turned to each of them. "My name is Rioh Hwang. I'm here to talk to you. And I know where Song Woo Bin is."

The thought of someone knowing where Woo Bin was had them pausing their interrogation. The fact that she was speaking Korean was another thing that had then listening. Slowly they took seats on various pieces of furniture and waited for her to finish.

"He was attacked by the High Triad which used to be a part of the now defunct Song Cartels. I'm not sure what they want with him, but he was pretty badly beaten and had been stabbed in the stomach," she continued.

"Did he receive medical help?" Ji Hoo asked.

Rioh nodded. "I stitched him up. He had no internal damage and the arteries weren't nicked. He's healing nicely. But you need to know that he's in danger. They are probably ransacking my place right now. They better not kill my dogs."

"Then we should go," Jun Pyo urged. Rioh shook her head. "Why not?"

"You don't know me, but you need to trust me. If we go now, they will kill him. I know these people. My brother is second in command."

Yi Jeong's eyes narrowed. "Then how do we know you're not part of it?"

"Because I'm here telling you what's going on. It's not an inside job. I would have killed them already. His lover will also be involved right about now. You need to wait."

"So we let him die?"

"No, but you have to wait."

"Hold on," Jun Pyo demanded. "Why in the world should we trust you? You just told us you know exactly who has him but you're telling us to wait. Who are you?"

Rioh leveled them with a stare before turning around. The three men were nervous as to what she was going to do. Better yet, who she was going to call. She was supposed to be helping them and yet she was keeping them from their friend.

"Wait a minute!" Yi Jeong called as she pulled her shirt over her head.

She didn't say a word as they looked at the art that adorned her flesh. Blue and black scales went from her right hip over her shoulder. Slowly she turned around to show a dragon's head that rested right on top of her heart. The mouth opened across her chest as the massive head extended down her arm and belched flames across her right breast.

"What does it mean exactly?" Ji Hoo asked.

"For the last two years the organization has been without the Dragon's Head. The old boss died right after the triad split off from the Song Triad. He didn't leave any word on who would be the new boss so anyone who wanted to take over the position couldn't kill the new one. My brother is the Dragon's Tail, or the second in command. He refused to step in because of his sexual orientation. He would get his lover killed if he did," she explained.

"What everyone didn't know was before he died, Master Jun signed over the organization to me with strict orders not to take the helm until someone made a move on Song Woo Bin. That's why you have to wait. I need to know who is after him because it's not Bin. He isn't going to risk Hwan. I have my suspicions but I can't act on them. The tattoo proves that I'm in charge, but I can't be flashing it around without reason."

"How much longer do we have to wait?" Yi Jeong asked.

Rioh looked at her watch then tossed her shirt over her head. She bent and grabbed her jacket. "Let's go."

* * *

Woo Bin couldn't move though he wanted to. He couldn't stop the men from beating the young man that had been with him in the house. Luckily they hadn't killed the dogs, but they had taken the two men.

Hwan had asked tons of questions during the two hours they had been together. He had asked so many questions Woo Bin's head had hurt from thinking. But the young man was very bright and enthusiastic. It was hard to tell he was gay. But the instant the men had invaded the home, they had started making lewd remarks about how the second in command could have something so sweet, and so could they.

They had been carted off to some place they would never be able to find. They had been blindfolded in a cliché fashion. They were tossed into a darkened room, and Woo Bin was shackled. Hwan had been stripped and tossed into the middle of the room where he was currently being violated. Woo Bin could hear the desperate cries though they were muffled by multiple men.

He was forced to watch the whole tirade. The men shared the poor kid as they took turns. Hwan tried to fight every shift but someone always held him down. Sometimes they hit him so hard Woo Bin could hear bones crack. He had at least four or five broken ribs and there was a possibility his leg was broken as well. And he still attempted to fight.

But when that fight fled from him, Woo Bin became really nervous. He could see Hwan struggling to breathe as two men forced him to service them from front and back. He tugged hard at the metal shackles, feeling the cold pieces bit into his wrists. He just needed to get one hand free.

So he broke his thumb and slid his right wrist out of the cuff. The others were too preoccupied to focus on him so it was too late when he clocked one with his broken hand and smashed the chains into the face of another. The men left Hwan to gang up on him. He did his best to keep them at bay, but he was injured and weaker than he usually would have been. He was shoved backwards and landed hard on his ass.

"You think you can deprive us of our quarry? Once we finish with him, we'll start with you. Only you won't be left breathing," one of the eight men said.

Woo Bin felt a weak grip on his wrist. He looked over his shoulder at Hwan. Beaten, bruised and bloodied, Hwan looked as if he were choking on the blood seeping from his mouth and nose. Every breath he took pained him.

"Run. Rioh will always find you. Run, hyung," he sputtered through the blood.

The older man shook his head. "I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to let them kill you."

Hwan tried to smile, his fingers slipping on the man's wrist. "They can't kill me. Bin will slaughter them."

"Stop talking, whore!"

Woo Bin turned his body despite its protests to protect Hwan as much as he could. Blow after blow rained down on his back, biting and clawing at it. He felt a rib crack with the bar as it smashed into his side, but he refused to move.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"Shit. It's Bin."

Woo Bin lifted his head to see the second in command standing in the doorway. His gaze wasn't fixed on the kidnapped man. No, his gaze was for the man lying prone underneath him. Hwan was pushing against Woo Bin to keep him up. It could have been misconstrued as assault but Woo Bin's body was paralleled to Hwan's as he protected the man.

"Move!"

He recognized Ji Hoo's voice and turned completely over. He caught the glimpse of a metal pipe as he arced over his head. But a dragon's face filled his vision seconds before the pipe embedded in flesh.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** This is the last chapter. I never intended it to be too long. More like a snippet story. I changed the rating on the story because I didn't want to get in trouble for a couple of scenes that took place.

* * *

Rioh braced herself for the blow, back bending as the metal rod crashed into her shoulder blades. She gripped Woo Bin's shoulders and leaned in to the blow to ease the sting that would follow.

There was a stunned silence that followed it. Stinging pain greeted her when she lifted her head. Rolling her shoulders, she got the full effect of the damage. Nothing was broken but she was going to be bruised for a few days. Metal was no joke.

Keeping her head averted from the men she was trying desperately not to kill, she crouched in front of the two battered men. Hwan smiled through bloody teeth but wisely didn't say anything before his eyes closed and he dropped into unconsciousness. She surveyed the damage done to him, making mental notes to bash the heads in of every man who dared lay a hand on this kid. Bin was going to kill them; she was going to get the first blows in. They had always had an unspoken rule amongst them. Never lay a hand on the significant other of any member. The bite marks, hand marks, bruises, cuts and damage done to his genitals were unforgiveable.

She met Woo Bin's gaze only when her anger boiled hotly. He held it as he searched for something. When he found it, his mouth dropped slowly as his eyes widened in recognition.

"Dr. Hwang," he muttered. "I've met you before. You were at the chapter meetings before the Triad was disbanded. You followed the former master to Seoul, but you never said a word."

His eyes trailed over her exposed flesh, widening even more as he recognized the tattoos. "You're…"

She held a finger to her lips as she slowly stood. Now he understood the authority had wielded when she had housed him. It didn't come from standing around people. No, it came from leading the triad quietly from the shadows. From the looks on everyone's faces as they stood around, no one knew who she was. She had kept her identity a secret.

"Hwan!" Bin slid across the floor until he was hovering over the young man. He took his shirt and dabbed at the blood encasing his mouth. "Hwan?"

"He's alive, but he's finally succumbed to the fatigue and pain," Rioh muttered. Bin looked up at her, his eyes roving over her bared skin but not seeing. She nodded. "It's exactly what you're thinking."

Bin surged to his feet, but Rioh held him back. The siblings stared at each other, matching eyes coming to the same conclusion. Bin had to look down to understand what she was trying to say. He saw the dragon head covering his sister's chest and moving along her back. It matched the tail that moved along his back and chest as well. Together they were the head and tail of the dragon, the two pieces that formed a whole.

"Yin and yang," he muttered. "Two halves of the same whole. Master signed the business over to you. Now it makes sense. Now I know why you never took an interest in things. You didn't have to. They were yours anyway. Why did you hide this from me?"

Rioh smiled tightly and turned around. Unashamed that she was exposing herself to fifteen men, she strode across the room. The men dropped their eyes and shuffled uncomfortably. She looked between them, eyes settling on every one of them for a long period of time.

"What? You're not going to take me? I'm standing half naked in front of you and not one of you is going to touch me?" she mused.

"We can't, master. It would be unwise," one of the underlings muttered.

Rioh licked the edge of her mouth as she nodded. "Ah. So you can't touch me because I'm the Dragon Head. Do I have that correctly?"

"Yes, Master."

"Then why in the hell do you think it's okay to lay a hand on the Dragon's Heart? Look at me!" Eight heads snapped up as the quietest person they had ever known demanded obedience. Rioh pointed at Hwan. "That boy is the heart of this dragon. He is my little brother by choice and the beloved of your second in command, the man who has led you for two years. Yet you torture and abuse him as if he means nothing to you."

"He has no ranking," Noah argued.

Rioh's smile was hard and mocking. "And neither do you. I'm stripping you of your rank. You're the instigator behind all this. I know it's you because your trademark was at all the locations I visited. You and Kim thought you were going to get away with it. You never lay a hand on someone else's wife or lover. You know this."

Noah laughed. "I don't think you have any grounds to stand on. You're not even married or dating anyone."

"That's not true."

A petite woman stepped from behind Jun Pyo. It was Bora, the triad's Vanguard or operations officer. From behind her came a man with brightly dyed red hair. It was Jin, the Deputy who was in charge of everyone below deputy, admin and liaison.

"Jin and Rioh have been in a relationship for the past ten years. Only a select few knew about it because any relationship is scrutinized. Master Jun had blessed the relationship because it kept the couple level headed. Bin and I are the only ones who have known about it," Bora tossed out as the two moved to Rioh's side.

"Just like Bin, I waited patiently for Rioh, and I've done what I could to make sure my relationship worked. I'm the only one who knew Master Jun selected Rioh as the new master and it was my job to make sure that stayed a secret. I'm also the one who delivered the information about Kim and Noah's deceit," Jin added.

With a yell, Kim and Noah charged the man. But Rioh was faster. She caught the metal shackles that had adorned Woo Bin's wrists when Bin tossed them and wrapped the chain around Kim's neck as she kicked Noah back. She tightened the chain until Kim's face turned red.

"How does it feel to be at the mercy of someone else?" she demanded. "Attack him again. Attack any lover again and you'll never be able to fulfill your desires. You'll be taking it from behind with no way to find release."

"Rioh, you made your point," Jin cajoled. A hand on her shoulder eased the tension that had built up there.

She loosed her hold on the chain but didn't fully let go. "Other than power, why did you attack Song Woo Bin and Hwan?"

"Does it make any sense to you to be a mafia when there is nothing illegal going on? That just makes us a gang with morals," Noah protested.

"And what's wrong with that?" Jun Pyo demanded. Ji Hoo and Yi Jeong grabbed at his clothes to get him to shut up but he shrugged them off. "There are plenty of gangs who are strictly good and only take on trustworthy jobs. It doesn't make them evil. It just makes them different."

"And what would you know?" Kim challenged.

He gagged when Rioh tightened the chain again. "He's the president of Shinhwa Group. Last time I checked your grandfather still worked for that company."

His face blanched at the mention of his grandfather whom he loved dearly. Things could be done out of spite because of his actions. Rioh was the Dragon Head. She could order anything.

"Rioh." Bin's voice was haggard and hollow.

She dropped her hands and the chain fell to her feet. "Ji Hoo-ssi, I need help moving Hwan. Bora, help Woo Bin. Jin, make sure the other two get out without getting hit."

She stopped by her brother. "Do what you wish, but do not kill them. Henceforth their titles are stripped. It's up to you if they stay or leave, but do not kill them. They have families as well."

Woo Bin stood with Bora's assistance as Jin escorted Yi Jeong and Jun Pyo out. It was a slow trip just across the room, but it was slower for Rioh and Ji Hoo as they gently carried Hwan out. Bin waited until the door was halfway shut before he let out a strangled cry and ran across the room. The last thing Woo Bin saw was two men fall, but he could hear the screams down the hall.

* * *

After a brief hospital stay and multiple phone calls to ease his parents' minds, Woo Bin was finally able to travel. JFK was packed full of travelers waiting on their flights. Many others were coming in from overseas for various reasons. He was just happy to be going home.

He and Hwan had gotten closer during the hospital stay. He had found out how young the man truly was. Woo Bin was eleven years older than him, but age hadn't mattered for Bin as he had waited two years to even start dating the young man. Though it was hard on him, Hwan had made a home with the siblings.

He had also found out that Rioh was the daughter and niece of the two founders of this charter. Her uncle had been the previous Dragon Head and her father the Dragon Tail. The two men had wanted to keep the top two positions in the family so they had secretly made it possible for Rioh to take over. They had had to keep her ascension secret because any person who had ambitions to take over would kill her. Jin had been proven worthy enough to keep the information since his long standing relationship with Rioh was more important than his job.

They all sat quietly as they waited for their flight to be called. There wasn't much to be said since the entire issue had been resolved. Court cases weren't pending because it wasn't the entire group who had attacked him and things had been settled within the group. But that didn't mean people weren't still upset.

"Hyung!"

They looked down the walkway to see Hwan walking as fast as his booted foot would allow him. Bin followed close behind, talking nonstop about what the young man should and shouldn't do. Hwan didn't bother listen to him. Rioh and Jin followed them at a much more sedated pace, content to follow hand in hand.

"Hwan! You can't move that fast. You're still injured," Bin scolded when they were finely within earshot.

"Ignore him," Hwan ordered. "He's still mad he can't get any for the next month and a half."

"Hwan!"

"Hwan, no one wants to know your kinky sex life. Please shut up," Rioh managed. The kid pouted but she ruffled his hair gently. "He'll be fine. He waited two years once. Two months won't bother him."

"Thank you for coming," Woo Bin tossed out before the family could start bickering once again.

Rioh smiled at him, hand still entangled in Hwan's blond locks. "It's not a problem. We would have insisted anyway."

Her face became serious quickly. "Things have been taken care of. Noah and Kim have been kicked out of the group. The others were given the choice of either leaving or staying but losing their ranks. Two left. The others gave up their positions and have returned to Blue Lanterns. It will be a long time before we even consider trusting them again."

Jin nodded in agreement. "We also reached out to the main charter in Seoul. Rest assured that no one there has any intentions of offing you. They know we have your back here in the States. Like them, we have family there who would gladly step in for us. You always have friends here even though we didn't start off on the right foot."

Rioh laughed. "You didn't have your arms elbow deep in blood."

He smiled and pulled her to him, nose buried in her hair.

"I've been wondering something," Yi Jeong said. The couple tilted their heads at him. "How did you keep your relationship so strong even when the burden of being the master was so great?"

"We always made it a point not to let the organization get between us. We kept an open line of conversation. Nothing was off limits. We fought a lot, but at the end of the day, we were more important than the group. If Rioh wanted to walk away, I was going with her," Jin explained. Beside them Hwan elbowed Bin and muttered something.

"Did you know I was in her house?" Woo Bin asked.

The other man nodded. "She emailed me as soon as you were patched up. I was supposed to come over, but when she recognized Kim's handiwork, she got me on the hunt and warned me away. Whenever she did something behind the scenes, I was never allowed to come over because she didn't want me in any trouble that would get me beaten and kicked out."

Woo Bin looked at Rioh then. For the first time, he saw her for what she was. She was a mob boss, she was a lover, and most importantly she was a friend. She had proven that with her actions more so than her words.

He extended his left hand since his right one was still bandaged. "Any time you want to visit South Korea, you always have a place to stay. And if I haven't said it, thank you for saving my life. Without all the work you put in, I'd be dead."

Rioh took his proffered hand and squeezed it gently. "Jin was right. You're always welcome here. Any time. And if you need help, feel free to call. We'll do our best to do whatever we can."

Hwan hugged Woo Bin tightly, much to Bin's chagrin and Rioh's amusement. They said their pleasantries and goodbyes as the four's flight was called. Woo Bin looked back at the four who had risked everything to save his life then back at the three who had had enough sense to trust them. He was probably not going to return to New York for a while but he was content with the fact that he would have friends if he did.

THE END


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